Track repairs continue after Metro-North derailment

Updated 11:52 am, Friday, May 19, 2017

After Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Rye, N.Y. on May 18, 2017, Metro-North says customers should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes Friday morning.
About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye station. less

After Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Rye, N.Y. on May 18, 2017, Metro-North says customers should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes Friday morning.
About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after ... more

After Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Rye, N.Y. on May 18, 2017, Metro-North says customers should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes Friday morning.
About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye station. less

After Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Rye, N.Y. on May 18, 2017, Metro-North says customers should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes Friday morning.
About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after ... more

Photo: Jon Lucas / Contributed Photo

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MTA chief Ronnie Hakim tours site of a Metro-North derailment in Rye, N.Y. on Thursday, May 18, 2017. About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye station. The "slow-speed" derailment happened at about 5 p.m. Thursday. less

MTA chief Ronnie Hakim tours site of a Metro-North derailment in Rye, N.Y. on Thursday, May 18, 2017. About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye ... more

Photo: MTA Photo

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Repair crews worked overnight to restore Metro-North service after a derailment on Thursday, May 18, 2017. About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye station. The "slow-speed" derailment happened at about 5 p.m. Thursday. less

Repair crews worked overnight to restore Metro-North service after a derailment on Thursday, May 18, 2017. About a dozen people receieved minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the ... more

Photo: MTA Photo

Track repairs continue after Metro-North derailment

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After Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Rye, N.Y., Metro-North says customers should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes Friday morning.

About a dozen people received minor injuries after five cars of the 12-car train derailed north of the Rye station.

The "slow-speed" derailment happened at about 5 p.m. Thursday.

An MTA spokeswoman said the westbound New Haven Line train carrying 185 passengers was approaching the station when five cars went off the tracks. The train remained upright and several passengers were treated at the scene for minor bumps and bruises.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Friday’s delatys, changes

OnFriday, Metro-North plans to offer regular New Haven Line service on Friday, but because of “track damage” there are some changes:

Those traveling between Stamford and Rye to Grand Central will need to use the outbound (to New Haven) platform,

Those traveling to New Haven will need to use the inbound (to Grand Central) platform.

They should also anticipate delays of 10-15 minutes.

A long ride home

Because of track damage, only two tracks were open Thursday, resulting in congestion of trains in the area. Speeds were also reduced through the area.

After the derailment, there were delays of up to an hour at the height of Thursday’s peak commuting time.

Some passengers tweeted that a normal 40-minute ride ended up taking nearly two hours.

Past problems

Thursday’s derailment ended a relatively smooth ride for Metro-North following a series of accidents and bridge closures that affected thousands of commuters.

The Rye derailment was minor compared to the one on May 17, 2013 in a crash that injured 75 passengers and crew members.

It happened when a northbound train hit a broken section of track and was sideswiped by an oncoming train unable to stop. Federal investigators noted the engineer operating the oncoming train saw the crash ahead of him but was unable to halt his train in time to avoid hitting the derailed train.

About 1,000 feet of track was torn up and overhead catenary lines were ripped apart.

The investigation into the crash revealed that the broken section of track had been repaired only a few months earlier, and was again found to be defective two days before the derailment. Four other trains passed over the missing section before New Haven-bound 1548 derailed and was hit by a southbound train.